


Swim like Flipper

by Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Ace!Aro!Pidge, Aromantic Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Coran owns a cafe, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk and Keith are supportive boyfriends, Keith is Shiro's nephew, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Lance and Shay are swimmers, Lifeguard Lance, M/M, Nyma is also a Lifeguard, Shiro is the coach, Slow Burn, Swim Team AU, married shallura, pregnant Allura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-10-17 01:00:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10583130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle/pseuds/Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle
Summary: Lance McClain's life turns upside down when his swim coach, Shiro, asks him to teach his nephew, Keith, how to swim. Will he find love?Lance turned towards the bathroom in time to see someone exit. He looked to be around Lance’s age, tall and muscular with long hair pulled up into a ponytail. He was gorgeous, honestly, and exactly Lance’s type. This couldn’t be Shiro’s nephew, could it?Updates on Sundays.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a dream I had. It just worked too well not to write.
> 
> My first foray into multiple chapters, but I come in somewhat prepared, so let's see what happens!
> 
> For [doodledevil](https://www.instagram.com/doodledevil/), always and forever.

“Lance!”

Lance turned at the sound of his own name. The tan boy was packing up his swim bag following a long practice and had been excited to go home, until he’d heard the sound of his coach calling his name. His swim bag lay open before him, wet bathing suit neatly folded inside a plastic bag and ready to be placed inside the duffel.

“What's up, Shiro?”

Takashi Shirogane, or Shiro to his friends and trainees, was a swimming legend before Lance was even born. People said he could have gone to the Olympics had he not joined the Air Force, but after an accident left one of his arms amputated at the elbow, he had returned to Santa Monica. His wife, Allura, had suggested he go back to swimming, so when a position as coach for Lance’s team, the Stingrays, had opened, he had gladly accepted.

“Lance.” the older man said as he walked up behind him. “I'm glad I caught you before you left. Listen, can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course.” Lance said, looking up at his coach. He shook a wet piece of hair from his eyes and smiled. “What's up?”

Shiro looked hesitant, then sighed, flesh hand reaching up and tangling in his hair. “My nephew is coming to visit me for the summer, and I promised I would teach him to swim, but l have the girls’ competition in Hollywood and I don't have the time. I was wondering if you would consider doing me a huge favor and teaching him the basics for me?”

Lance considered his words, shrugging. He hadn’t planned to do much on the two days he would have off; maybe go to the beach with his best friend, Hunk, or play video games with his other best friend, Pidge, but without practice his schedule was pretty much open.

“Yeah, sure Shiro! I’d be glad to teach your nephew the basics.” Lance said, throwing a wink over his shoulder at the taller man. He returned to his bag, throwing his goggles and water bottle inside before zipping up the top and slinging it over his shoulder in a single motion.

He stood and began to walk towards the door, nodding at Shiro to follow him. “What would you like me to teach him?” He asked with a saucy smirk.

Shiro laughed. “I think I can trust my best racer to know what to do. Just teach him to float, the basic strokes, stuff like that. He doesn’t have to be swimming butterfly by the time I’m back; Just get him a little more comfortable around the water.”

“No problem.” Lance replied quickly. “Just tell Allura to bring him by around ten. I was planning on coming anyway, now that you’ve given me the key - I just wanted to get a few hours of laps in, but I’d be happy to teach him instead.”

“Thanks, Lance.” Shiro looked at him, relieved. “I keep telling him I’ll teach him, but-”

“No, I get it! You’re a busy man, Shiro. You can count on me.”

“I know.” Shiro smiled warmly. “I think you’ll like him, Lance. He’s an interesting person, once you get through to him, and I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t succumbed to your charms, huh?” He winked playfully and Lance blushed.

“You flatter me, coach.” He swung a leg over his bike and picked up his helmet. “Good luck on that competition! Tell Shay Hunk and I say to ‘Swim like Flipper’!”

“Swim like…” Shiro wrinkled his nose, confused, and then shrugged. “I’ll let her know. Thanks, Lance!”

Lance raised his hand and started to roll away, before pausing.

“Hey, Shiro?” He yelled.

“What, Lance?”

“Does your nephew have a name?”

Shiro laughed, flesh hand raising to rub at his neck. “Yeah, sorry. It’s Keith. Keith Kogane.”

Lance smiled and returned to his path. _’Keith, huh? Alright, this could be interesting. I wonder how old he is.’_ He thought to himself. _‘He can’t possibly be that old; there’s no way Shiro would let his nephew reach teenage years without teaching him to swim. He’s probably, like, ten or something.’_

Content that his job wouldn’t be so hard, Lance turned out of the parking lot and started off towards home.

* * *

The next morning, Lance arrived at the pool at a quarter to ten. He’d been planning to swim some laps before meeting Shiro’s nephew, but his mother had held him back to help with his younger sister and time had flown away from him.

By the time he’d locked his bike to the rack and turned towards the door, he was being greeted by the beautiful woman with a round stomach who was standing on the corner.

“Lance!” She called out to him, British accent floating through the air and bringing a smile to his face.

“Hey, pretty lady. How’re you doing?”

She smiled, hand resting on her slight bump. Even five months into pregnancy, the woman seemed to glow, strong and fabulous. Lance knew she and Shiro were meant to be; Allura was perfect for Shiro, guiding and patient, and Shiro worshipped the grounds she walked on in return. Lance could remember the day Allura had told Shiro she was pregnant with crystal clarity; Shiro had come to the pool that day with a smile big enough to light up the room, and his trainees had annoyed him until he’d told them the news. Now, whenever Lance saw Allura, he made sure to ask her how she was feeling, because she and Shiro deserved it.

“I’m doing well, Lance.” She replied. Allura never failed to remind Lance of a queen, with her flowing vocabulary and rigid posture. “I came to introduce you to your pupil.”

“That’s right.” Lance said, suddenly remembering the purpose of his being at the pool. “Your nephew, right? Where is he, anyways?”

“He went to the bathroom to change. He should be back soon- oh!”

Lance turned towards the bathroom in time to see someone exit. He looked to be around Lance’s age, tall and muscular with long hair pulled up into a ponytail. He was gorgeous, honestly, and exactly Lance’s type. That couldn’t be Shiro’s nephew, could it?

“Lance,” Allura said. “I’d like to introduce you to my nephew, Keith Kogane.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting, an argument, an apology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Keith! Ft. Keith speaking Texan and Lance not knowing when to shut up. 
> 
> Happy birthday, [doodledevil](https://www.instagram.com/doodledevil/)!

“You’re joking.”

“Sorry?”

‘ _Oh, and he has to have a country accent TOO?_ ’

“Excuse me??”

“Oh sorry, did I say that out loud?”

Keith glared at Lance. The shorter boy seemed to have the personality of an attack dog; small and brutal. Lance would have thought it was funny, if he wasn’t busy being so personally offended at the fact this guy was at least his age and didn’t know how to swim.

“Allura, you have got to be kidding me.”

“Sorry?” Allura’s blue eyes widened with mirth. “Whatever do you mean?”

“But- but- He’s old!”

“ ** _What_**?” The boy- Keith- spoke up again, that annoyingly country accent ringing through the empty halls. “And you’re uglier than sin!”

“What?” Lance answered angrily. That stupid accent was bothering him, even though he didn’t know why - it was just so dumb. “What does that even mean?”

“For god’s sake-” Keith turned and looked at Allura. “I can’t learn with him, he’s dumber than a box of rocks!”

“Keith.” Allura’s voice reprimanded the shorter boy, and he looked at his feet, ashamed. “Don’t be rude.”

“Yeah, Keith.” Lance muttered under his breath. “Don’t be rude.”

“Me?” Keith asked, outraged. “He's the one throwing a hissy fit!”

“Excuse me?”

“That's it.” Keith said angrily. “I'm not learning from him, Allura. Sorry.” He turned on his heel and stormed off, stomping angrily away.

Lance turned to Allura, mouth open, but he couldn't think of anything to say. The woman regarded him disappointedly, one hand rubbing at her protruding stomach while the other massaged at her temples. “Lance….”

He deflated, shutting his mouth and bringing up a hand to rub at his eyes. “I know, ‘Llura. I'm sorry, I was just surprised and…”

“And your motor mouth took hold, hmm?”

Despite everything that had just occurred, Allura’s eyes twinkled with the slightest bit of amusement. The pediatric psychologist had a lot of practice dealing with volatile personalities, after all, and she understood Lance better than most.

“Maybe. But that’s not the point, Allura! I thought I would be teaching, like, a ten year old or something. Not a guy my age who makes sexy look- I mean. Um. Can you forget that you heard that last part?”

Allura covered her mouth, trying futilely to stifle her giggles. “Consider it forgotten, Lance,” she said, “but why does it matter so much?”

“Are you kidding?” Lance yelped. “He’s, what, seventeen?” At Allura’s nod to the affirmative he continued, “How has Shiro never taught him to swim before? He could be at the _Olympics_ , Allura! Shiro could have had him training for the Olympics since he was five, and he’s only learning to swim _now_?!”

“So you’re jealous.”

“... Maybe.” Lance looked down at his feet. “You know how it was around here before Shiro, ‘Llura; you remember how bad it was.”

“I do.” Allura sighed and closed her eyes for a second. “But that doesn’t give you an excuse to be rude to him.”

“I wasn’t trying to be! And besides, he was rude too.”

Allura sighed. “Lance…”

“Fine, fine. I get it.” He groaned. “I’ll apologize.”

“Good!” Allura said, immediately brightening. “You must get going then. And I’m going to go sit down; my feet are killing me.”

Lance couldn't help the laughter that bubbled in his throat. “You do that, ‘Llura.” He turned to leave, then paused and looked back at her. “Wish me luck. I’m going to need it.”

“Good luck, Lance.” Allura smiled, heading over to one of the benches that ran alongside the wall and sitting down. She leaned back with a sigh and closed her eyes, apparently happy to be able to get off her feet. Then she cracked open one eye and glared at Lance.

“What are you still doing here? Get going, apologize!”

* * *

If Lance’s mother had ever taught him anything, it was how to properly apologize for his mistakes. As he looked for the other boy, he began to craft a formal apology that would be worthy of his mother’s praise, but it all flew out of his head as soon as he found Keith.

The boy was sat on a rock by the shore, staring out into the water as the sounds of the pier floated past them. It was nearing midday, and tourists milled around by the waves. The shouts from a group playing a game of volleyball nearby echoed through the rocks. Lance must have looked like a mess, having walked almost fifteen minutes to find Keith, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He held his breath as he sat down next to the pale figure.

“My mamí always said that I was born with the ocean inside me.” He said softly. “She likes to joke that I swam before I walked… And she’s probably not wrong, either.”

Gray eyes met blue as Keith turned towards Lance inquisitively, but Lance just kept talking.

“What I’m trying to say, Keith, is… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, I swear; I was just surprised, is all. I had been expecting to teach someone… Younger, you know? Your being my age just threw me for a second.”

“Why does it matter, though?” Keith asked. He returned to staring out at the water. “Shiro said you could teach me. Why does it matter if I’m seven or seventeen?”

Lance sighed. “I guess you could say I was feeling a bit… jealous, at first, and then-”

“Why the hell are you jealous?”

Lance turned to gaze out at the water, mirroring the other boy’s posture. “I’m not. Not really. It’s more like… You had Shiro for so long, and you never asked him to teach you to swim? I don’t understand that.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Look, before Shiro came along, that pool was a wreck. It probably should have been closed down for being a safety hazard, but it was the only pool my mother could afford, so that’s where I went. But the coach at the time, this guy named Iverson, he didn’t like me. Refused to let me swim in heats, accidently ‘lost’ my times so that I couldn’t place when I did swim… It was bad. My entire life changed when they replaced that dick with your uncle.”

Keith nodded but chose to remain silent, so Lance kept talking.

“I think that jealousy is the wrong word, really. I’m not jealous… I don’t understand. But I wouldn't mind teaching you to swim, if you still want those lessons?”

He held his hand out in truce, hoping that his rambling was doing him some good and not just harming him.

Keith eyed it for a moment, then clasped it in his own. “I’d like that.”

Lance smiled in relief. “Great! Why don’t we start over, then? I’m Lance McClain, I swim for the Stingrays, and it’s nice to meet you.”

“Keith Kogane. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on Tumblr: [fandoms-are-my-lifestyle](http://fandoms-are-my-lifestyle.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lesson, a meal, an invitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mainly based on my own work teaching others to swim. There are many ways to do such a thing, and I left out many of the more boring details, but this is my way.

“The first thing you need to know is that there is no way that you could possibly drown.” Lance said, stepping down the stairs into the shallow end of the pool. “This end of the pool is three feet deep, and if you ever feel like you’re drowning or tired or whatever, you can just put down your feet and stand up.” 

He gestured towards the water with a flourish, glancing at where Keith stood hesitantly on the wall. “You gonna get in? I promise you the water won’t bite.”

Keith sighed and began to descend into the water. 

“You’re sure this is safe?”

“Safer and easier than riding a bike. C’mon, I’ll make sure you don’t drown, I promise.”

Lance glanced up at Keith, still hovering awkwardly on the top stair, and had to tear his eyes away before they got stuck on Keith’s abs. The guy was  _ toned _ , and Lance really liked the view, but he had a job to do.

“Come on!” He said. 

Keith hovered for another moment before stepping into the water and wading over to Lance. He looked nervous, but Lance ignored it. 

“Alright,” he said, “we’re going to start with kicking. Hold on to the wall, will you?”

Keith did as he was told, though he still seemed hesitant. Lance gave him a smile. “Loosen up, dude! The water will hold you if you don't try to fight it, but if you get tense you're going to sink like a rock.” He put his hands on Keith’s shoulders to demonstrate, scrupulously ignoring the feeling of the other teen’s muscles beneath his fingers. He gently massaged at the space between Keith’s neck and shoulders to demonstrate. “You need to stop wearing your shoulders as earrings, as my mom would say. Come on, chill. You're not going to drown.”

Keith nodded tersely and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened them, he seemed a bit more calm, so Lance continued. 

“Alright. Now, what I want you to do is hold on to that wall, and you're going to lie on your front with your face in the water- don’t give me that look, Kogane, I’ve taught five year olds to swim and I  _ will  _ teach you, too! Now, where was I?”

Keith gave him a look. “You teach five year olds to swim?” 

Lance laughed. “Yeah. I’m a lifeguard here, as well as down by the pier during the summer, and Shiro roped me into doing the classes for the little kids. They seem to like it, ‘s all I know.” He blushed and looked away from Keith, studying the  **_’3 ft’_ ** painted on the wall before them. “I like teaching them, you know? That’s one of the reasons I was so surprised when you were, y’know, my age.”

Keith nodded understandingly, then returned to the task at hand. “So… I just hold onto the wall and kick?” He asked dubiously. 

Lance nodded. “Come on, let’s see you try.”

* * *

 

“And you’re absolutely certain I’m not gonna sink.”

“Keith!” Lance said. “You know what to do with your arms. You know how to kick. I promise you, all you have to do is put the two together and you’ll be fine!”

“If you’re sure…”

“Alright, Keith.” Lance smiled at the other boy devilishly. At some point during the hours they’d been working, Keith had lost the hair tie that had been holding his disheveled locks away from his face, and his hair now ran down his forehead and into his eyes. The way the brown flyaways clung to Keith’s cheekbones made Lance’s heart flutter, but he ignored it.

“I really don’t like the look in your eye, Lance.”

“Keith, if you’re going to act like a five year old, then I am going to  _ treat you like a five year old.  _ You don’t believe you won’t sink? Fine. I’ll hold you.”

“You’re going to…?”

“Hold you. Yep.” Lance held out his arms. “Lie forward, and do the motions I taught you. I’ll keep you up. Got it?” 

Keith nodded and hesitantly slipped back into the water. Lance slipped his hands underneath Keith's abdomen and immediately realized he had made a mistake. 

Since he had met Shiro’s nephew the previous day, he had been studiously ignoring his attraction to the other boy. Sure, Keith was beautiful and muscular, and had proved himself to be good company in the last few hours, but Lance really didn’t know all that much about him. Lance didn’t even know if Keith liked guys, forget about liking anyone at all. It just couldn’t happen. There was no way someone as attractive as Keith was gay. The universe wasn't that kind, was it?

But as soon as Lance held out his hands for Keith to lie on top of, he knew he was in trouble. Keith’s abs trembled at his touch, and Lance sucked in a breath, blush rising to his cheeks. 

“A- Alright,” He stuttered out, furiously refusing to give into temptation and palm Keith’s gorgeous, rock-hard abdomen. “W- Whenever you’re ready.” 

Keith turned his head just enough to give Lance a confused look, but thankfully chose not to comment on his stutter. He began to move his arms and legs in tandem, Lance giving pointers and shouting encouragements until-

“That’s it, Keith! You got it!”

Unbeknownst to Keith, Lance had removed his hands from the other boy’s body once Keith had become distracted, and he had successfully made it from one end of the shallow end to the other without any help. Lance could have jumped for joy. 

He leaned down and offered a hand to Keith, pulling him out of the pool.

“Nice work, Flipper! Come on, get changed and I’ll buy you lunch. You must be starving.”

* * *

 

Lance watched as Keith laughed, toying with the food in front of him. He had brought Keith to  _ Coran’s  _ because their food was fantastic, but had instead ended up regaling the other boy with tales of his exploits with Hunk and Pidge. 

“So  _ then, _ ” Lance continues the story he had been telling, leaning forward, “we’re sneaking around behind the building and we're hoping that there's no one around, and we're all thinking we're safe because who else would be around the school building at midnight on a Saturday, right? And we step out around the corner and this professor, Professor Montgomery, is standing there waiting for us. And he stares at Pidge and says, ‘Just what do you think you're doing, young lady?’ And  _ that's  _ how we found out that Pidge was a girl - because we decided to sneak into the school on a random Saturday night.”

Keith laughed, toying with the straw in his drink. 

“How did you not know that she was a girl?”

Lance shrugged. “They look pretty ambiguous, honestly. And they don't really advertise it, you know? They asked to be referred to as they, and who are Hunk and I to argue? We're their friends, we respect their boundaries.” He smiled, just thinking of his best friends. Lance was really excited; they'd been planning to go to the beach the next day, just him and Hunk and Pidge. He looked over at Keith. “I mean, wouldn't you do the same?”

Keith blushed and looked down at his food embarrassedly. 

“I wouldn't know.”

“What?” Lance asked, confused. 

“I wouldn't know. I don't have any friends, back home.”

“You don't-” Lance started, then snapped his mouth shut and rethought what he was about to say. It wouldn't do to start another argument with Keith, not if he ever wanted to be friends with him. 

“Do you want to come to the beach with us?” 

The question had slipped out so fast, even he had been surprised. He hadn't been planning to invite Keith along; the three of them had been planning this day since the start of the summer, it was supposed to be a day just for them. Now that he thought about it, though, inviting Keith was a pretty good idea. 

Keith blinked. He seemed to have not expected the invitation any more than Lance had. 

“Um. Sure. Thanks,” he said, smiling down at his now-empty plate. “I'd love too.”

* * *

 

**To:** **_Hunk a’ meat, Pigeon_ **

_ >> Bringing a new friend to beach day 2k17. Dw, youre gonna like him.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Stop wearing your shoulders as earrings" is another reference to my dad. This is what he used to say to me to stop me from hunching over and to stand up straight - I was a kid with terrible posture. I need to stop bringing my childhood into my fics.
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr: [fandoms-are-my-lifestyle](http://fandoms-are-my-lifestyle.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kinda filler - Lance is a lifeguard, Hunk, Shay, and Pidge appear, Keith likes Lance's naked torso

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> A couple of things: 
> 
> This has ended up being a bit of a filler chapter, only because it got long and I'm trying to keep to around 1k per chapter. (Hey, I'm new to this, okay? Not everyone can be the writer of _Dirty Laundry_.) 
> 
> A huge thank you to all you people who have commented and left Kudos. Y'all are the motivation I need to keep writing.

Lance leaned back in his chair and sighed happily, casting his eyes out against the water. He could see kids playing in the water and dogs running on the sand, parents lying on towels and couples walking by the breaking waves. He loved the beach and he loved his job as a lifeguard - 

“Hey Lance!” 

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts and Lance turned to see Hunk, his best friend, walking towards him, smiling slightly. Hunk’s name wasn't actually Hunk, but Hawea. Lance had been the one to give him his nickname, since he couldn’t pronounce the mythical name, and “Hunk” had stuck. The bigger teen was clothed simply, yellow t-shirt covering his torso and black swim shorts just skimming his knees. Beneath his shorts, Lance knew he would find Hunk’s tattoos, traditional Samoan designs called Pe’a which covered his lower half from his bellybutton to his knees. He had seen the charcoal tattoos many times since Hunk had gotten them done two years previous, and they always fascinated Lance with both their intricate designs and their history. Hunk’s hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, and Lance knew that if he was closer he would be able to see the twin braids Hunk wore in his hair courtesy of his younger sister, Lanuola. 

He was followed closely by his girlfriend, Shay, and Lance’s favorite fifteen year old, Pidge. Shay Halvor, who swam breaststroke for the Stingrays, was a broad, powerful girl who was adopted from Nigeria. Her dark skin glowed in the sun, powerful arms on display where they emerged from her sleeveless white top. Her hair, cropped short and coarse, hung to her ears, and a dolphin pendant hung from a chain around her neck. One of Shay’s hands was tangled in Hunk’s, though she walked slightly behind him. She looked completely at ease. 

Pidge Holt was an entirely different story. Their short, brown hair was stuck to their forehead with sweat, and their green tank top was quickly becoming dusty with sand. As they struggled along behind Shay, pulling a huge tote bag that probably contained far too many books, they seemed to grow progressively more angry at the environment around them. Pidge had been Lance’s best friend since they had transferred into Lance’s grade in high school, two years ahead of their age and fighting to establish their place in Lance’s grade. Lance had initially thought that Pidge was an insolent gremlin who was too smart for their own good, but after Hunk had been assigned to work with them on an engineering project, they had become fast friends. Now, Lance watched his friend struggle with the bag they were pulling behind them and could only hope that they had remembered to take off their binder before they had come. He was overly protective of his younger friend, and despite Hunk being the self-proclaimed “mom friend” of their group, he worried about them a lot. 

“Lance!” Hunk called out to him again, reaching the base of Lance’s chair. “My main bro!”

“Hunk-a-licious! Love of my life! He who brings the sun to earth!” Lance yelled, jumping down from the chair and into his best friend’s waiting arms. Pidge rolled their eyes, far too used to the two boy’s antics, while Shay smiled at the two fondly. 

“Are you off shift yet, Lance?” She asked.

“Oh shooo- If anyone see’s me off my chair, I’m toast!” Lance said, scrambling back up. “I’m only on shift for another ten minutes, though, and then I’m all yours. Why don’t you guys find somewhere to sit? I’ll join you after I switch over!” He flashed them his signature grin and shot them a wink. 

His friends all agreed and wandered off, presumably to find a spot on the beach close enough to the ocean to satisfy Lance but far enough that Pidge could read without getting their books all wet. 

He kept his eyes trained on the beach absentmindedly while he counted down the minutes in his head. He only had about two minutes left before his shift was over, and then he’d go find his friends just like he’d told Hunk, and then-

“Lance.”

“Keith!” Lance twisted in his seat to smile down at his new friend/pupil. “Buddy!” 

Keith seemed to redden slightly before smiling back up at Lance. “Am I late?” He asked, voice uncharacteristically low. 

“Nah, buddy,” Lance said, glancing at his watch. “You’re right on time. C’mon, walk with me.” He jumped down from the chair and landed before Keith, cocking his eyebrow comically and holding out his arm. “Shall we?” He asked, adopting the worst English accent he could. 

Keith burst out laughing and Lance pretended to pout. “Come on! I was trying to be chivalrous!” He whined, before winking at Keith. “Never mind. No chivalry for you, got it.” He turned and led the way towards the lifeguard shack, dragging his rescue buoy behind him. “Man, this is gonna be great! You're gonna love Hunk, everyone does. And Shay’s cool too. Pidge is terrible, but they're also pretty awesome when they are so inclined.” He rambled on as Keith trailed behind him, then turned to face him. “Hey, you okay?”

Keith jumped, and a shadow seemed to fall across his face “Sorry, what?” He reached his hand up to pull at his ponytail. 

“You okay, man? You've been quieter than normal, and that's saying something.” Lance hesitated. “You know, you really don't have to meet them if you don't want to.”

“No!” Keith jumped, as if startled by his own exclamation. He shook his head. “No, really, I want to meet them, Lance, I swear. I just-” 

Lance smiled at him. “It's okay, Keith,” he said. “Meeting new people is scary. Trust me, I get it.” He looked back at him, then pushed open the door to the lifeguard’s ‘headquarters’. “It’s gonna be okay, though, I promise! My friends are gonna love you.” 

Keith smiled in relief. “Thanks, Lance.”

“No problem. Hey! Nyma!” 

A lithe girl long blond pigtails turned around as Lance called out her name. A fellow lifeguard and swimmer, she and Lance had dated for a bit back in sophomore year. They’d decided that they were better off as friends though, and Lance was glad to be working alongside her. 

“Hey beautiful,” He said, stripping off his red ‘Lifeguard’ t-shirt and turning to rummage through his bag for a tank top. “You takin’ my chair?”

“You wish, hot stuff.” She winked playfully, falling into their normal routine of flirty banter. “I’m taking over for Luxia. I think Xi’s got your chair, but I'm not sure.” She smiled at him, then seemed to notice Keith for the first time. “Who’s this cutie?”

“New friend.” Lance declared, turning and smiling at Keith. The other boy had gone beet red and was staring at Lance as if in shock, but Lance shrugged it off as first-meeting jitters. Nyma could be a lot to take at first, he knew, and he’d wanted Keith to meet Hunk first to get him more comfortable with his friends. “His name’s Keith. He’s cool.”

Nyma gave Keith a bright smile and then moved towards the door, stopping to kiss Lance’s cheek as a goodbye. “Bye, luv.” She said, grinning at him. “Oh, and bye, Keith!” She added over her shoulder, exiting the room. Lance smiled.

“She’s a good one, Nyma. She’s a lot to handle, but she means well.” He turned back to his bag and zipped it closed. “You ready to meet the gang, Flipper?”

“Uh, Lance?” Keith’s face was scarlet.

“Yeah?”

“You might want to put a shirt on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Facts:
> 
> Shay's last name, Halvore, is actually Norweign for "rock defender". I thought it was fitting. 
> 
> Hunk's name, Hawea, is Samoan! It means, according to the internet anyways, "the mythical drum brought to Tahiti" in Samoan myth. Hunk's sister's name, Lanuola, means "living color". I thought it was a pretty name, and it worked well.
> 
> Debating whether or not to do the next chapter in Keith's POV. Thoughts?
> 
> [Doodledevil](https://www.instagram.com/doodledevil/) drew Hunk and Shay! Find Hunk [HERE](https://instagram.com/p/BTgu_YZjBXS/) and Shay [HERE](https://www.instagram.com/p/BTFBRr5DC6D/?taken-by=doodledevil)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beach part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently there will be a part three to the beach segment of this, because I'm having too much fun writing it! Oops. That should be it, though.
> 
> Apologies for the late post. SATs kicked my ass. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> As always, for [doodledevil](https://www.instagram.com/doodledevil/).

Keith followed reluctantly after Lance as the darker boy left the Lifeguard’s shack. He wasn't entirely sure agreeing to come to the beach had been the best idea, but there was no turning back now.

“Hunk! Shay! C’mere a second, wouldya?” Lance yelled to his friends, who were standing in waist high water.  The two were splashing  each other playfully, getting each other soaked and keeping themselves cool against the Californian summer heat. As Keith watched, Shay dove underwater, grabbed onto her boyfriend’s ankle and flipped him face first into the ocean. Keith let out a giggle in shock. 

“Shay!” Lance yelled, laughing. “Did you kill my one true bro? Do I have to avenge his death?”

Keith stood behind Lance and watched as Shay and Hunk, who was apparently alive, began to head to shore. Watching Lance interact with his friends was mesmerizing; the taller boy seemed to glow as he yelled at the others. Lance was truly meant to be around other people. 

Keith, however, was not.

He dropped his gaze to his shoes and studied the sand sticking to his toes contemplatively. He still wasn’t completely sure that meeting Lance’s friends was a good idea, but… despite having only known Lance for a few days, he had a hard time refusing him anything. 

Keith was not loathe to admit that he found the other boy attractive. Despite their rather rocky first meeting, he and Lance seemed to get along like two drops of water. It was easy to talk to Lance, despite Keith’s limited experiences regarding friendship, and Lance was definitely on the more attractive side than most people, as much as Keith tried not to notice.

He blushed down at his toes as he thought of those moments alone in the Lifeguard’s shack, Lance’s toned stomach on display… He’d sounded so happy when he had introduced Keith to Nyma, as though-

_ Nyma. Right.  _

Keith scowled down at the sand beneath him. It didn’t matter how attractive Keith found Lance; the other boy had a girlfriend. Because of  _ course  _ he did. No person who looked like Lance was ever single for long, and they were  _ always _ straight.

“Keith?” Lance turned to him and spoke quietly, snapping Keith out of his trance. He looked up at Lance questionably. 

“You okay, man?” Lance said quietly, keeping a wary eye on the approaching couple. “‘Cause you’re going to end up turning that sand into glass if you don’t stop glaring at it.”

“I’m good,” Keith replied, “don’t worry about me.” He raised his eyes to meet Lance’s and had to forcibly keep himself from losing himself in the azure pools. He blushed and forced his eyes down, dragging his eyes away from Lance’s lips and back to the sand below their feet. Lance was barefoot, Keith realized, though he hadn’t seen the other boy remove his shoes. Even his feet were nice looking, tan with manicured nails painted alternating toes of blue and green. Lance seemed to notice Keith looking, because he follow Keith’s eyes down to the colors. 

“Oh my god.” He groaned, flushing. “My little sister, JoJo, she insisted and I was babysitting her and Carlos, my brother, and she has the  _ best  _ puppy dog eyes, Keith, you don’t understand-”

“Lance.” Keith interrupted the other boy before he could continue to ramble. “Don’t worry, it’s cute.”

The moment the words left Keith's mouth he regretted them, but it was too late to take them back. 

_ Cute? You called him cute?  _ The little anxiety-producing voice in his head whispered.  _ He’s not going to like that, you know, no straight guy likes being called cute, especially not by a gay guy. He’s going to hate you now, you know, and then you’ll lose the only change you’ve got at having any friends- _

“Yeah, she is.” Lance’s voice once again interrupted his thoughts. “She’s a cute kid, Josephine.” He stared out at the water, and Keith could see a faint blush dusting his cheeks, though it could have only been a trick of the light. 

“Bro, you’re getting sappy again!” 

Hunk and Shay had finally reached them, scaring both Keith and Lance and making Keith jump.

“Was he talking about his siblings again?” Shay asked Keith, smiling. “He always has a happy look on his face when he thinks of them.”

Keith blushed and nodded. Why was Lance so freaking  _ cute _ ?

“I am Shay,” the girl continued, extending a dark hand for Keith to shake. “If you need anything, just ask.” 

Her accent was delicate, but noticeable enough, and it was musical to hear. Keith took her hand gratefully. “Keith. Thanks.” He shut his mouth awkwardly, only too aware of how terrible he was at meeting new people. 

“I’m Hunk!” The boy hanging onto Lance’s neck interrupted the silence before it could span so long. “Lance’s main bro. It’s nice to meet you!”

“You too.” Keith murmured, holding out his hand to shake and then gasping as Hunk bypassed his outstretched arm and pulled him in for a hug. Hunk was a really good hugger, and Keith had to keep himself from deflating into the other boy’s arms. 

“Pidge is over there, playing on their DS.” Hunk continued, setting Keith down and smiling warmly. “They’ll do introductions when they feel like it, that’s just Pidge.” 

Keith giggled, feeling himself loosen as he stood next to the friendly couple, and then looked at Lance as he tugged on Keith’s arm.

“C’mon, Keith, let’s go in the ocean!”

* * *

 

Being in the ocean with Lance’s friends was fun, Keith realized. The three complimented each other perfectly, sentences flowing with the familiarity that came from years of being friends, and Keith’s sides were beginning to hurt from laughter. He had never had so much fun in his life. 

Keith pulled himself out of the ocean and dragged himself towards the group’s towels, waving off the other’s offers to accompany him. He was tired, he realized, and needed a few moments to himself. 

He flopped himself down on the red towel and closed his eyes, relishing the warmth of the sun on his back. He could feel himself beginning to drift off, but was soon startled back into reality by a voice.

“So you’re Keith.”

The statement was not a question, and yet Keith still felt the need to answer. He opened his eyes and peered up at the round glasses above him. “That’s me.”

“Huh.” Pidge said, looking at him. “I thought you’d be taller.”

And with that, they turned back to their handheld game. 

Keith flopped back onto his towel and wondered abstractedly at what his life had become since Lance had come into it.

He didn’t think it seemed all that bad. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Keith. Don't make unnecessary assumptions...
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr: [fandoms-are-my-lifestyle](http://fandoms-are-my-lifestyle.tumblr.com/)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of a good day

The beach had always been a place of escape for Lance. For as long as he could remember, the beach had been the place that he would go when he needed to get away from the world, when everything became too much. 

When dealing with Iverson became too hard, when the ex-coach had become too vulgar and yelled just that much more than usual, Lance would run to beach. When his parents had opened the door on a quiet sunday night to a large man in a uniform who told them that his older brother had been “in an accident, I’m so sorry Mrs. McClain”, he had left their small two-story house and run for the ocean. It had been his place to be alone, and the ocean was always there if he needed it to be.

But it had also been there for so many happy times. Countless nights spent teaching his younger siblings about the stars in the sky, barbeques on the sand, blaring music that resonated off the rocks until it seemed as though every person in the world could hear the spanish melodies. 

And now, it was the backdrop for what was quickly becoming Lance’s favorite memory; Keith, hair rumpled and shirtless, laughing quietly with Shay while helping Pidge build an intricately detailed sandcastle. Lance felt his heart swell with happiness as he Watching him from knee-deep water, 

Lance could feel himself falling, pitching head-first off the cliff of ‘friendship’ and tumbling down towards the pit of romantic feelings. He hadn’t felt this way in forever.

He could only hope that Keith would be willing to catch him at the bottom. 

As if he could feel the darker boy’s eyes on his back, Keith turned to grant Lance with one of his small half-smiles and Lance felt his heart spring into his throat. It wasn’t fair; Keith couldn’t possible be allowed to be both hot  _ and _ cute, right?

He fought against the blush trying to rise to his cheeks and smiled back at the other boy, turning back to face the waves rolling towards him, and immediately received a face full of salt water from his best friend.

“Hunk!” He whined playfully, pouting at the bigger boy. “Bro! What betrayal!” 

Hunk laughed at him.

“You’re the one who always tells us never to turn our backs on the ocean, Lance, it’s not my fault that you don’t listen to your own advice.” 

“But- But-”

Hunk smiled as he watched Lance search for something to say, before his face turned serious.

“You really like him, don’t you.”

It wasn’t a question, really, but Lance blushed and started stammering what could have been either denial or acceptance. It was hard to tell.

“H-How did you...” He finally let out, the words burning his throat. He stared down at the waves lapping at his knees, blush covering his cheeks. He wasn’t  _ that  _ obvious… Was he?

“You look at him the way I feel myself looking at Shay.” Hunk said quietly. “That means something, you know?”

“I don’t know.” Lance replied, equally quietly. “I don’t even know if he’s into guys… And even if he is into guys, who says he’s into me? And what if he is? For all I know, this could be like Nyma, and I’ll figure out in a couple of months that it’s better that we stay friends instead. I don’t know anything, Hunk.”

For once, Lance was being dead serious, and Hunk could sense it. He chose to remain quiet as Lance struggled to find the words he was searching for. 

“It’s just… I know he  _ could _ end up being everything to me, or… Or it could crash and burn, you know? It’s better for now to just stay friends and not even try.”

“Are you sure?” Hunk said, concerned. Lance shrugged. 

“Yeah. I mean, it’s not like he likes me anyways.” Lance said, smiling sadly. “It’ll be fine.”

“Okay…” Hunk looked like he was going to say something, but then seemed to think better of it. “So you’ve got a meet on Wednesday, right?” He asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah, against the Sharks.” Lance said, beginning to work his way back towards the dry shore. Hunk followed close behind. “I hate those guys.”

“That’s Lotor’s team, right?” Hunk asked. “That creepy douche who keeps trying to hit on you?”

“Yeah, unfortunately.” Lance shivered in disgust. Lotor was a slimeball who insisted on flirting with Lance no matter how many times Lance told him he wasn’t interested. “You planning on coming?”

“Duh. Shay’s swimming, when have I missed one of her meets?” 

Lance smiled at his sappiness. The two were truly made for each other. He could have done without the constant hand-holding and PDA, since such actions only reminded Lance of how painfully single he was, but he was happy that Hunk had found the girl who was basically his soulmate. 

“You should invite Keith,” Hunk said suddenly. “It would be fun, c’mon!”

Lance turned to glance at Keith, who had gotten up from his position next to Pidge to find rocks to decorate the moat of their castle.

“Yeah.” He said decisively. “Yeah, I think I will.”

* * *

“So what did you think of them?” Lance asked, glancing sideways at Keith. The other boy had biked to the beach, and was slowly wheeling it at his side as they walked along the paved path. Keith was a bit pink from the sun, shirt hanging around his neck and showing off the faint freckles that covered his shoulders, strong silhouette framed by the setting sun. 

He was beautiful. 

“They were nice,” Keith replied. “Even Pidge. They were all really nice to me, even though they didn't know me.” He sounded a little surprised, and yet pleased, as if he had not expected the approval of Lance’s friends. 

Lance smiled at him, relieved that Keith had liked his friends. He wanted to give Keith as much as he could this summer; though he had no idea how long the other would be staying in California, he was planning on making it the summer of Keith’s life. 

“They liked you.” Lance assured him. “Even Pidge.”

Without realizing, they had stopped in the middle of the path to face each other. The path was otherwise deserted, and Keith’s face was only inches from Lance’s. 

“Listen…” Lance said, forcing his eyes to stay on Keith’s and fighting the urge to glance at the other boy’s lips. “Do you want to come over to mine tomorrow? We can hang out. Just the two of us.” He’d work up the nerve to invite Keith to his meet tomorrow, hopefully; one step at a time. 

Keith smiled. 

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not so much of a "fun fact", but one should NEVER turn their back to the ocean. It is incredibly dangerous.
> 
> My tumblr: [fandoms-are-my-lifestyle](http://fandoms-are-my-lifestyle.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know each other more, and an invitation

“I can’t believe you have a blue beanbag chair that’s _covered with fish._ ” Keith said, gazing at the monstrosity before him. The chair was a deep blue color and was covered with orange fish. It was obviously well-loved, despite its frankly horrid appearance. 

“Yeah, well, I can’t believe that you’ve never played Mario Kart before.” Lance replied snarkily, glancing behind him as he set up the game console. “What, did you grow up under a rock?” His eyes sparkled with mirth as he turned back to the console, and Keith took the chance to examine the WiiMote in his hands. It didn't look all that complicated…

“Alright,” Lance said, flopping down onto the beanbag chair and sighing contentedly. “Now, I’ll go easy on you, you know, since you’re a noob, but after you get the hang of it it’s _on_.” He laughed softly and peered at Keith from under his eyelashes, and Keith felt his heart skip a beat. 

“Deal.”

“We’ll start off easy,” Lance said, and grinned at him with a hint of something Keith had never seen before in the other boy’s eyes. Lance hit Start and quickly explained the basic controls to Keith. “A for forward, use the arrows to control yourself.” He instructed, already concentrating on the screen and suspiciously colorful road before him. “OH, and don’t hit go until after the three!” He yelled, already shooting forward and leaving Keith’s character coughing in his own exhaust. Keith growled and hit the ‘A’ button hard, shooting forward…

And immediately hurtling right off the road. 

“What…” 

Keith muttered in frustration, successfully navigating his way around a bend only to fall off the road again. “I thought you said we were going to start off easy?”

Lance glanced over at him from where he was cruising comfortably in second. “First rule of playing games with me- I lie!” He said cheerfully, winking at Keith and then cursing as he came dangerously close to the edge of the track. 

Keith picked up the controls easily, though, and began passing the other characters on the course until he was right behind Lance, battling for second place.

“How did you catch up so fast?” Lance yelled at him, frantically swerving to avoid falling off and trying to knock Keith off in the process. 

“This is what you get for trying to trick a beginner!” Keith yelled back at him, elbowing Lance so he could get ahead. 

“It was gonna be funny!”

“I don’t loose, McClain!” 

“It’s on, Kogane!”

The rest of the race was a frantic battle of sabotage, elbowing, and one interim where the game was paused because Lance had discovered Keith’s stomach was ticklish and refused to stop abusing this discovery. They finished, panting loudly, Keith beating Lance for first by a split second. 

“Good race,” Lance choked out from between giggles. “Another?”

“Another.”

* * *

“Alright, alright.” Lance gasped, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. “You’re positive you’ve never played this before?”

“Positive!” Keith laughed, clutching his aching sides. “I’ve never even heard of this game.”

“Grew up under a rock,” Lance muttered under his breath. “Maybe you were a NASCAR driver in your past life or something.”

“Tired of losing, McClain?” Keith winked at his friend and then immediately felt guilty. He has a girlfriend, Keith, Lance McClain is taken and very much not yours, Kogane, get a hang of yourself.

“For now, but there will be a rematch in the future, Kogane, you can count on that.” Lance said, leveling a fake glare at Keith.

“Wanna do something else now?”

“Like what?”

“20 questions?”

“Hmmm?” Keith considered the offer. This was a game he knew; and from what he’s heard it could either go really well or really horribly. He thought for a second and then nodded. “Okay. You start?”

Lance nodded, and furrowed his forehead in thought. 

“Do you play any sports?”

Keith nodded. “I’m on the fencing team.” He considered his own question for a moment and then decided to go simple.

“Favorite color?”

Lance laughed. “All the questions ever and you choose the absolute lamest. It’s blue, by the way; like the ocean on a calm day.” 

“Specific,” Keith said. “Mine’s red.”

“Of course it is.” Lance said, ignoring Keith’s indignant shout. “Favorite childhood memory?”

“Ummmm…” Keith hesitated, turning over the question in his mind. “I don't know, probably spending time in my dad’s garage. He taught me how to fix engines and things.”

“That's really cool, Keith.” Lance said. “Mine is probably teaching my younger siblings to find constellations on the beach.”

“You have younger siblings?” Keith asked. “That doesn't count as a question though.”

“Who says?” Lance challenged. “And yeah. I'm one of six: two older, three younger.”

“Cool.” 

“Yeah. You can ask another question, by the way, I was just messing with you.”

Keith hesitated, trying to figure out to ask the question that had been floating around his mind recently. “How long have you and Nyma been dating?”

“Me and Nyma?” Lance looked stunned. “No, Keith, you’ve got the wrong idea on that one. Nyma and I aren’t dating.”

“You’re not?” Keith said, shocked. “But the flirting in the shack, and… She kissed you! You called her beautiful!”

“Nah,” Lance said, smiling. “I can see why you thought that, but Nyma and I are just friends. I’m not into her… at least, not anymore, and she’s got a boyfriend, so. Definitely not dating.” He smirked at Keith.

“But-”

“I call her beautiful ‘cause she is, and she deserves to hear it, just like I call Allura beautiful. It means nothing. Why, Keith, you jealous? I think you're beautiful too, if it helps.”

Keith felt all the blood rush to his face, unwilling to admit the fact that the statement had, in fact made him feel better.

They played for a while longer, laughing and exchanging stories from their childhoods and school days and talking about everything they could. It had gotten late, however, and Keith had promised Shiro he would be home by five. Lance walked him to the door and stood there, fidgeting.

“Hey, Keith,” He said suddenly. “I, uh, my swim team - you know, the one Shiro coaches? Well, uh. We’ve got a meet tomorrow against the Sharks, and Hunk’s gonna be there for Shay ‘cause he always goes and Allura will be there and-” he cut himself off and cleared his throat, blushing. “What I’m trying to say is, i was wondering if you would like to come watch?”

“Come watch you swim?” Keith asked, and smiled up at Lance. “I’d love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what this means!! Lots of swimmer lingo. I'll try to keep it simple, and explain everything I use.
> 
> As always, I'm available to talk on Tumblr: [fandoms-are-my-lifestyle](http://fandoms-are-my-lifestyle.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who cares: "Swim like Flipper" is actually something my dad texts _me_ before all of my swim meets. Flipper is a reference to the 1960's TV show by the same name, about a dolphin who swims "faster than lighting". 
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr: [fandoms-are-my-lifestyle](http://fandoms-are-my-lifestyle.tumblr.com/)


End file.
